Dean Jones credits BCCI for improving the game financially

Dean Jones thinks India's financial clout over the game is ICC strength.

Dean Jones, the former Australian player, has come out and stated that India's contribution in the financial strength of the game is absolutely important and BCCI is one of the prime reasons why the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been running the way it is.

Praising Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI)'s contribution and saying that he sees no harm in India taking over world cricket, Dean Jones said, “The ICC has got to run the game, but I sit back and say well if it wasn’t for what India’s done in the last 10 years, I wonder where we would be? Wonder where the players would be because they wouldn’t be getting the same money (anywhere) and with world’s 80 percent cricket turnover comes from this great country. See, it’s all very well too,”

In a recent SWOT analysis report, International Cricket Council(ICC) had reported how the governing body and world cricket is overly dependant on India for its finances and that there is a need to expand the game and quicken its overall growth.

Dean Jones was further quoted saying, “Think the game has been outstanding over the last 10 years. A couple of teething problems here and there but if it wasn’t for Indian cricket the players wouldn’t earn the money they are earning now, Players (are) getting paid more money, people watching TV, IPL is just absolutely killer. So where is the bad part of this?”

Jones who is working for StarSports for this Indian Premier League season, looked ahead to India's tough upcoming tour of England and said, “It wasn’t just the swinging ball, but it was Moeen Ali, who was knocking you guys out (last tour), an off spinner! So it was like what the hell was going on there. That needs to be picked up a little bit. So, I am expecting India to beat England,”

“Look, Virat’s my favourite player in the world at the moment and he played the innings of the summer when he was out in Adelaide last time when he got a hundred in the last match. He should belt us up in all honesty, we don’t have Smith, we don’t have Warner, so we will get some flat tracks around"

“(Ravichandran) Ashwin is going to play a big role now because conditions will actually suit these guys. Whereas in the past it hasn’t. Ashwin will be going to be a big player if they want to win the series, Umesh Yadav and Co. too,”